New World screwworm (NWS) myiasis was found in a patient who returned to the US from El Salvador, the Department of Health and Human Services said on Monday. The case was confirmed on 4 August.
New World screwworm is a fly that lays its eggs in open wounds and body opening such as the eyes, ears, nose or mouth. It primarily affects livestock and is rare in humans. It does not spread from person to person, and poses a very low risk to the public, according to U.S. health officials.
HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said it is the first human case of travel-associated NWS myiasis from an outbreak-affected country identified in the US. The devastating pest, which feeds on live tissue, is usually found in South America and the Caribbean.
The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service says it has partnered with other agriculture agencies, the state department and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to respond to the outbreak.
"When NWS fly larvae (maggots) burrow into the flesh of a living animal, they cause serious, often deadly damage to the animal," according to the USDA. "NWS can infest livestock, pets, wildlife, occasionally birds, and in rare cases, people."
